Help me i keep fainting!

what am i going to do!? i have fainted 3 times now (well not entirely lost consciousness but have had to be supported to walk and/or have had to literally sit on the floor before i fell down) -and that's only during 2 shifts!!!!!

the first time i can pretty much accept -emergency situation, first witness etc -a lot going on and pretty much understandable (no food either). the second was later that day, unrelated to it, but still couldn't even talk at the time or i would have been out cold -got picked up off the floor and walked to the staff room by another mw.

well today, it happened again! i made sure i ate a good breakfast, i had just literally had a tea break, and was just standing watching an epidural going in (i am not scared of needles or anything like that!) arrggghhhh what's the matter with me!!! i tried just ignoring it and walking it off but it seemed to make it worse -i get a really bad ringing in my ears and then my vision goes almost completely black. the anaesthetist asked me if i was ok when i went back in the room after so he obviously noticed i wasn't feeling good! i have had an awful headache since then!

i just feel like such an idiot! there is nothing that makes me feel uneasy about being there, i am not scared or queasy about anything and apart from the first situation, not overly emotional about anything going on so what's going on!! oh and i am not pregnant!!

any tips to stop me fainting!! i have only ever fainted 3 times in my life prior to this - one at a rock concert through heat exhaustion haha, one from not eating for about 3 days! and one from watching my sister have her wrists stitched back together! (niice) i also am used to working in hospitals -have had jobs on postnatal wards etc, so not scared of hospitals either!!!!!!

help! they will chuck me off the course if i am like this when i start!!

I have no idea how u can stop urself fainting, don't think u can!
Perhaps u should go see ur doc, might be ur blood pressure, or iron levels?
I know the only time i ever been like that was at beginning of pregnancy!!!
Def go get a medical opinion. Hope u feel better soon x x

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Its Good To Talk!!

oh-er, don't know what to suggest really!
they only thing that springs to mind is getting your bp checked out to make sure it isn't too low, or having full blood count taken to check your Hb.
aside from that, maybe it's a self fulfilling prophecy type thing? You're now so worried about it happening again...... that it does iyswim?
dont worry, am sure they wont chuck you of the course, you just need to get a handle on it!!
x

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Site Administrator, Student Mentor Scheme Manager

STMW 2nd year - no, really!

yeah ikwym about the self fulfilling prophecy type thing. i didn't think about it today when i went in -just put the last incident down to being hungry last week, but i am dreading it tomorrow now -and i know that will make me worse!!

thought if i went in with some tips then i'd convince myself i'd be ok!!

if i put some smelly stuff on a hanky -would that work? what kind of smell? like olbas oil or something!!??
also, would it be a bit weird of me to take a bottle of water into the delivery room with me!? or is that a no no!?

sorry would rather ask here than look a total plonker tomorrow! hope no one minds!

mmm, not sure about smells! not into all that kind of naturapathic kind of stuff, but am tempted to say lavender?!
if you think having a bottle of water in the room would help (coz they are HOT HOT HOT aren't they?!) then ask if it's ok. Some units might not allow it, but cant see that it would be a problem really.
above all else - stop worrying about it, it will be ok!!
x

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Site Administrator, Student Mentor Scheme Manager

STMW 2nd year - no, really!

in some places water is a no no, but sometimes we do, if the certain ward leads aren't on!!!!

i agree, go and get your bp etc checked, but it may b a psychological thing. just be glad ur gettin it out of your system now!!

one of my mentors last semester was legendary in her first year- in the end everyone knew that she was prone to it- and just used to carry her to a spare room or into the staff room where she would recover, get up and carry on!! she eventually got over it and is a successful midwife of 20 years.

if it isnt anything physical there are always alternatives you can look in to, like hypnotherapy etc...

and keep ur blood sugar up with sweets/glucose tablets in ur pocket, thats how i combat feeling woozy. it's highly emotionally charged stuff with sights, smells and lots of adrenaline, so dont beat urself up!!

hope u get on ok xxxx

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"With my hands, i have felt the strength it takes to grow, and release new spirit......."
"All the best births are the ones where you only have time to record times on a paper towel..."- a midwife, somewhere in the middle

hello pricey i too fainted a year ago today . i was in a new job, had been there a good month and i went to my first meeting. i was just sitting there perfectly fine and the next minute i had ringing in my ears and my vision started to go so i thought i would go outside and get some fresh air and do you know what? i didnt even make it to the door!!! flat out for about 4 minutes and got carpet burns all over my face ( i didnt feel a thing) lol i went doctors and apparently it was a major panic attack. i had them before but never like that and and i was so scared i couldnt go back to another meeting. but i did with the help of my collegues and it hasnt happened again. do you feel as if you want to flee when you get dizzy? a panic attack doesnt always feel like your panicking as i didnt feel that way either. the reason i ask is because in our bodys we have a reaction to fight or flee .its our bodys way of coping. so instead of panicking with a racing heart or sweating you may faint! look up panic attacks on the internet and it may come up with fainting and a solution.to be honest im now on medication for mine and i dont get the panic attacks or anxiety so i would go to the doctors and get it checked out to rule anything else out good luck hun and let us know how you get on xx

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2009 will be my year

I agree with the others go see your gp for bp check and iron leven check.

I find that sometimes when i m really consentrating i get dizzy and i have worked out its because im focusing so hard and trying to take everything in that i tend to hold my breath without realising it. So now i have to remind myself to breath!! silly i know. It was a midwife that realised what i was doing.

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Have you just been offered a place? If so and you want a mentor please post in post this forum (also post here if you would like a mentee)

Hi Pricey
Hope you can get this resolved!
Just wanted to say that I have never fainted but came very close once in a music lesson at school when I was about 11. It was one of those REALLY hot summer days and our music teacher made us stand and sing the whole lesson and refused to let any of us sit down (nice woman!) One girl did actually faint, and I was so embarrassed that I would faint too, and had ringing in my ears and was swaying! For weeks afterwards I was convinced I would faint in her class and would feel all dizzy just sitting down. So these things can definately be psychological! I would get your health checked over too though, as that may put your mind at rest as well!

x x x

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Decided to postpone my application to 2010 for Beds and ARU x x x

Hmmm... Maybe if you try not to think about it, just focus on what is happening, trying to take things in and learn, hopefully it won't happen again for you.

I was doing some work experience in a hospital, shadowing doctors about 2 summers ago. This particular day I was watching a doctor put a central line into a mans neck. I had never seen anything like this before, it didn't really bother me.

All of a sudden I started to feel really hot, like everything was closing in on me. Dizziness followed and then my sight just went black! I went to sit down, had some water and a biscuit, then was fine.

After that day I witnessed a c-section, which was a lot more bloody, and it didn't happen again.

Don't worry about being kicked off the course! It's not an abnormal reaction to have in the sorts of situations you have recently been in.